My King
by puppyangel7
Summary: Astrid struggles with her feelings for John, as Stephen contemplates his own feelings for his best friend. Can the three of them cope with the feelings they have?
1. Chapter 1

Astrid was reviewing formulas from her Advanced Chemistry book when she had that odd feeling that someone was watching her. Looking up from her book, she turned around to find no one there. She began to read a passage on redox reactions when she felt air against her neck. This time she spun around and found John, looking down at her with a cocky grin plastered on his face, the same exact expression they shared at the party when he took a bite out of his pizza.

"What are you doing here?" she said, closing her book.

"Happy to see you too," John said with a chuckle.

"I didn't mean it like that," Astrid said. She got up and sat at the end of her bed.

"I want to do something," John said, "care to join me?"

"What do you want to do?" she asked suddenly feeling very nervous.

"It will be a surprise," John said, extending a hand out to her.

Astrid placed her hand in his and ignored the feeling she felt as he clasped her hand.

She opened her eyes and looked at John.  
"Welcome to Niagara Falls," John said as Astrid took in the amazing waterfall. He loved watching her smile as she took in the breathtaking view.

"Oh John, this is amazing," she said.

"You're amazing," John said without thinking about it. Astrid willed herself not to blush and turned her head away from him. She enjoyed the cool wind that came and hit against her skin and she could feel John's gaze on her.

"Hey let's take a picture," she said, taking out her cell phone. They posed in front of the waterfall and Astrid took several pictures.

John teleported Astrid back home and they both sat on her bed. "Thanks John," she said. "I've never been there before."

"It was my pleasure," he said, smiling at her and he found that he did that more often when he was around her. He was truly happy when he was with her and that was really rare. He definitely did not want to mess up whatever this was with her.

"Good luck with your test tomorrow," he said, "Good night."

"Thanks," she said. "Wait, how did you know?" she said, but he teleported away.

"Where were you John?" Cara asked as soon as he came back in.

"Missing you," John said meaning to sound sarcastic. Cara rolled her eyes and followed him to his room. He just needed to be with her one last time, to get it out of his system, to finally let her go. It wasn't fair to Cara that he was developing feelings for someone else. That night was the final time he would have anything to do with Cara.

"So what did you think of that test?" Stephen said to Astrid.

"I think it went well," Astrid said, putting her textbook in her locker. Stephen waited for her to close her locker and then asked her, "Yeah me too. Anyway do you want to hang out?" he said. "I feel like we haven't hung out in a long time," he said smiling brightly at her.

"I have plans tonight actually," Astrid said. The truth was that it hurt her every time she was around him and he just didn't get that. He didn't feel the same way about her and that hurt. In order to heal she felt like she needed to put some distance between them and just maybe then she could see him as only a friend. The sting of that rejection was still so fresh and difficult to ignore.

She could see the disappointment in his eyes. "Maybe some other time though," she said, starting to walk off.

Stephen teleported into the lair and headed for a chair. He sat across Russell, who was sitting on a sofa reading a magazine. "Where is she?" Russell asked, looking around Stephen for Astrid.

"Not here," Stephen said laughing.

"She's actually busy," Stephen said.

"Do you know if she's seeing anyone?" Russell asked Stephen.

Stephen was about to answer when John came in offering them sandwiches.

"Hey, is Astrid seeing anyone?" Russell asked again as he noticed Stephen forget the question.

John's ears perked up and he tried not to look too interested. "As far as I am concerned she's single," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's been over a week," Stephen said to Astrid as they headed for the cafeteria. "Why can't we hang out like we used to?"

Asrid couldn't believe that she almost called Stephen John and she closed her mouth to regain her thoughts. "I've just been busy that's all," she said, placing a chocolate milk carton on her tray.

They headed for their table and sat down. Stephen sat across from her and said, "I feel like you're abandoning me," he said, picking at his pizza.

Astrid was about to take a bite of her cheese sandwich but put it down. "How could you say that?" she said now crossing her arms in front of her.

"Well that's how I feel," he said, "if you don't want to be my friend anymore-"

"Did I ever say that I don't want to be your friend anymore?" she asked him. The tears were now pricking her eyes.

"No," he said, reaching for her but she pulled away from him. She began to cry and she didn't know why and he came around to her and hugged her. She sobbed against him and he rubbed her back in comfort.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I don't know what I would do without you that's all," he whispered into her curls. They separated with both their hearts still heavy and then Astrid got up and walked away, wishing she could disappear.

Stephen went back to the lair and before Russell could ask he said, "Not here."

"You look upset," Russell noted and he was going to joke when he noticed that Stephen looked hurt. John was reading a book of poetry Astrid had lent him and looked up.

"It's just Astrid," he said, thinking about what happened in the cafeteria.  
"What's wrong with Astrid?" John asked, placing a bookmark in the book.

"She," he hesitated, "she's different. I feel like I'm losing her," he said.

_You don't deserve her _John thought.

"What did you think?! Stephen said, heading straight for John.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own The Tomorrow People. The CW does. Don't forget to watch this Monday march 17th. Thanks for reading.

John didn't even flinch or take a step back as Stephen stood a couple of inches from his face.

"You think I don't deserve her, and by her you mean, Astrid?" Stephen questioned.

"That's right," John said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You don't deserve her, because you don't cherish her."

"You don't even know about out our friendship," Stephen said angrily. "You're just an outsider looking in," he said, clenching his fists and trying to hold his fury in check.

John looked calmly back at him and was about to tell him off when Cara walked in.

"What's going on here?" she said, her eyes flitting between the both of them. They turned to look at her and then back at each other, sending daggers with their eyes, meanwhile keeping the wrath under control. Cara stepped in between the two of them, acting like a shield because she could see that they were going to fight and she really did not need this right now. John didn't want to be in the lair anymore, so he decided to go somewhere where he could find solace.

Astrid was bobbing her head up and down to a song, while studying for her A.P. Literature test when John teleported inside her room.

He bent down to the front of her bed, enjoying how she still hadn't noticed him, but then he watched her as she stilled.

Taking out her ear buds she slowly looked up at him, and smiled and shook her head. "You have to stop doing that," she said.

His heart felt warm all over and he beamed. He sat down at the end of her bed and snatched her book, flipping through the pages. "Finished," he said, playing as if he had read the whole book.

"What a liar," she said, reaching out for her book but he kept it away from her by moving to the middle of the bed.

"Give it back," she said, stretching out her hand, putting her other hand on his shoulder as she extended herself to get her book. He laughed all the while, taking pleasure in her lavender scent, but then she fell down on top of him and she was sitting on his lap. He took an intake of breath and dropped the book and it landed on her pillow.

She watched his blue eyes transform from amusement to yearning as she looked down at him and her heart flapped against her chest like a hummingbird. "Sorry," she said, quickly getting off of him.

"I'm not," he said, slowly getting up his eyes still fixed on her.

She turned away not wanting to look at his eyes for fear of what she might see there. "So what's the plan for today?"

"The same as always," he said, trying to catch her gaze. "To stay away from the people that hurt us. For example your best friend."

"Oh, come on, John. He's not doing it intentionally," she said.

"Yeah, but he should know. He doesn't even have to read your thoughts to know," he said still staring at her now. She really did live up to her name which meant divinely beautiful and he wanted to tell her that but thought against it.

Astrid was still stunned about landing on his lap that she couldn't think straight. John kept gazing at her, noticing how her cheeks were flecked red and was going to read her thoughts, but he settled on not intruding her mind.

She changed the subject on how she felt regarding Stephen, knowing that John spoke the truth, except she didn't want to discuss how upset she was over the whole thing.

"What kind of host am I?" she said mostly to herself as she spoke. "Do you want anything to drink? Anything to eat?" she asked him, getting up.

John got up from her comfy bed, missing the coziness and the closeness he felt when they were on it. "Some water would be great."

"Okay let's go," she said and he followed her down the stairs.

When she entered the kitchen she stopped and looked at her dining room table. It was set up beautifully with two plates of Penne alla Vodka and yellow roses in a vase were situated in the middle.

"You did this?" she asked him, going to the table cautiously.

He smirked and said, "I did."

"When?" she said surprised.

"When you were too busy listening to your songs and studying. I found solace in your kitchen," he said, pulling out a chair for her. She sat down and waited for him. He came in with two wine glasses filled with ginger ale and placed them on the table.

Astrid took a bite of the pasta and soon her fork was stabbing for more. "This is delicious," she said, clamping a hand over her mouth so he wouldn't see her talking with her mouth full.

They talked, Astrid mostly talked since John insisted she talk about herself, while he listened and the more he learned about her, the more he was drawn in by her.

When they finished eating, Astrid sighed with a hand on her stomach. "That was so good. Thank you." she said, leaning back in her chair.

They smiled at each other and a comfortable silence settled over them. John got up and took her plate. "I'll help," she said, standing up.

"No, no I can do it," he insisted.

"No, John please," she said with a pout,

"Fine, I'll wash and you can dry," he said.

When they finished washing the dishes they decided on watching something on Netflix. They were in her room, sitting on her bed, browsing over the horror genre, having petty fights over the summaries of the movies and what they deemed scary when John had that yearning look on his face that caused Astrid to stutter her words, "That's w-why a, a, serial killer with claws," she paused, grasping her thoughts "that can enter your dreams is not that terrifying."

John leaned in real close to her and whispered in a raspy, yet sexy voice, "I would like to enter your dreams," he said.

"What I have been having lately is nightmares," she stated. "Trust me you wouldn't want to be in them."

"Well, if I were in them, I would do everything to save you," he said. His blue eyes twinkled as he looked at the sight before him, causing within him a serenity that he had longed for, a sanctuary much desired, but a need he thought he never would find. All these feelings that she had conjured up in him and she didn't even know the affect she was having on him. Astrid looked at him, trying to read his emotions, wondering what he was thinking about because all she was contemplating about was kissing him. What he had just uttered made her so happy, and when she was in this state she could be rather impetuous, and she didn't want to ruin whatever this was. Suddenly John's hand was on her cheek, and she was in shock as he leaned in so close, their lips so near when the doorbell rang, snapping them apart like a whip that's been dealt. Their eyes were misty with ache for each other, but at the same time there was this strange sense of relief that they hadn't kissed.

"I wonder who that can be," Astrid said, running for the stairs.

"Yes, I wonder who that can be," John stated slightly peeved.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own The Tomorrow People. The CW does. Don't forget to watch this Monday march 24th. Thanks for reading.

John had been taking more risks as of late but it was really worth it, he thought as he waited in the kitchen.

He heard her open the door and then the sound of a familiar voice reached his ears.

"Hey," Stephen said instantly regretting it, as he saw Astrid roll his eyes at him. He couldn't help saying hey and knew she hated it when he greeted her like that. Astrid observed how he looked so hopeful.

Despite all of this she managed a smile and asked him, "How are you?"

"I'm fine. It doesn't matter. I came here to talk to you," he said, his eyes pleading to be let in.

"Well, we were just going to watch a movie. You can join us," she said, stepping aside to let him in.

"We?" Stephen asked confused, and he saw John appear in the hallway.

Astrid noticed the displeasure and disappointment in his blue eyes as they made contact with John's azure eyes. John's eyes had changed too, before they were content and now they were full of irritation. There was definitely some hostility between the two of them she sensed but pushed it out of her mind. She wanted to enjoy tonight and stress was not on her list.

"Hi," Stephen acknowledged John just for the sake of Astrid.

"Hello," John said lowly. Astrid bit her lip as she witnessed the exchange. _On the other hand this might've not been a good idea_ she thought. She could feel the tension, rolling off of them in waves and she wondered if she had any powers since the ill feelings the two were emanating were palpable in the air.

"John, could you excuse us," Stephen said. "I need to discuss something with _my_ best friend."

John stood there for a bit but then teleported to Astrid's room.

Stephen's anger dissipated minutely when John left. "So, you and John huh?" he said, sitting on Astrid's couch. Astrid sat down at the other end of the couch.

Astrid smiled but couldn't help it and she shook her head. "You're blowing me off for him?" Stephen said as calmly as possible.

"I'm not blowing you off for anybody," she whispered, looking at him quizzically.

He wanted to read her mind to explore what she was feeling for John but he had promised he wouldn't do that.

He knew how she felt about him, when he broke his promise and read her mind,_ I'm in love with_ _you_, but wondered if she still loved him like that, and he hoped she still did. He was flattered, of course, however, he didn't want their friendship to get weird, so he tried as much as possible to not have a conversation about it.

"It's not like you don't blow me off," Astrid said after a moment.

"So, I guess we're even," Stephen said, looking at her with a mixture of hopefulness and defeat.

He wanted to get rid of this unshakable belief that started to creep into his mind that he was going to lose her or that he would be replaced. He didn't know why that idea kept percolating around in his head and he wished he could stop thinking that but it was difficult.

"I was never trying to get even," Astrid said. She was just steering clear of him because of all the feelings he brought up in her was making life difficult to bear.

"Can't we just hang out together please?" he begged. He started to regret ever asking if someone could look after her while he was gone, because John had stepped up to the plate and took a bullet for her. That whole situation, where they had saved each other had bonded them, sewn them together in such a way that Stephen could not have imagined. He often wished that it was he who had saved her; instead he had gotten the blame for putting her in danger.

"Yeah," she said, "but not today. I'm not kicking John out."

As Stephen and Astrid had their little chat, John was examining Astrid's room, noticing how her room spoke volumes about her.

Everything from the bright colors, to the light that oozed in through the windows said something about her.

Like the light that trickled in and spread to her bed to the walls, she had managed to get into him and enliven him.

Not only was she the reason he smiled more, but he also had this optimism when he was around her. He was like a candle and she the match that inflamed him.

He stood before her bookshelf and took note of the books. They were special in that each book was rated with a number of stars on the spine. He looked through her photo albums, and pilfered a photo of her (one without Stephen in it) and put it in his back pocket. Then he just sat back in her bed and waited to be called.

The three of them sat on the couch with Astrid sitting in the middle, Stephen was to her right, and John sat to her left.

They settled on the movie "The Human Centipede" but Astrid couldn't really concentrate on the movie because she could feel both guys constantly looking at her.

Stephen's eyes would shift to her and then back to the movie. John did the same but his stare was much more powerful for some reason. Astrid stared blankly ahead at the screen, questioning what they were thinking.

"That would never happen to us," Stephen said, shaking his head as the girl on the screen began to run away. Astrid nodded in agreement as John said nothing.

He was pondering how cheerful Astrid had been when she saw Stephen and he didn't know why but he didn't like it.

As Astrid tried to pay attention to the movie, unbeknownst to her the two of them were arguing telepathically.

_Why the hell are you even here? _Stephen asked.

_Can't I hang out with my friend? _John inquired.

_Since when is Astrid your friend?_ Stephen questioned.

_Since the day you stopped looking out for her_, John thought triumphantly.

_Well I have certain privileges, _Steven thought as he put his hand on top of Astrid's hand.

As soon as he did that simple act, Astrid couldn't explain a bolt of electricity that crawled throughout her skin.

It sent a thrill inside her that made her feel weightless and excited. She tried to disregard the flutter that he had brought about in her, and saw John's gloomy expression, so she slipped her hand out from Stephen's and placed both hands on her lap.

_I don't think she's into killers_ Stephen goaded as the warmth of her hand left his.

John leapt from the couch, causing Astrid to look up at him in shock as he stood before Stephen.

John's fist hit Stephen squarely in the jaw and he backed away, holding his hand to his jowl, and was about to hit John right back, not noticing that Astrid had got up to put herself between the two of them, and he ended up striking her on the side of her head.

Astrid fell backward, but John caught her, stunned as he staggered back with her in his arms. Stephen looked on flabbergasted, taken aback about what he had done and rushed to her side.

John laid her gently on the floor, tilted her head back and immediately performed CPR but she was still unconscious.

"I didn't mean to," Stephen said, backing away. He started coming toward them again but then stopped, thinking he might hurt her again if he got too close.

Don't worry I'm here," John said, bending down closer. He turned around to find Stephen still there. "What are you still doing here? Call 911 you idiot!" John yelled as he continued CPR. She looked so peaceful and an uncomfortable feeling started to slink into John. This was his fault. He started to whisper her name, hoping she would respond but she just looked like she was sleeping. "You're going to be all right," he said soothingly, caressing her cheek as her eyes remained closed.

He heard Stephen calling the police and he was so puzzled by what happened.

Stephen couldn't believe what he had done. He has just hit his best friend. The girl he has known his whole life. He watched as John continued and each time she didn't respond the more at fault he felt.

John stopped trying when he heard the ambulance coming.

"I care about her," Stephen choked out.

John got up and crossed his arms. "Is this what you do to someone you care about?"

Stephen blinked and he could feel the tears pierce his eyes. "It was an accident!" he said, heading for the door. He took a huge breath and opened it as two paramedics rushed in. "What happened here?" one of them questioned Stephen.

Stephen could not even respond, knowing what it would look like. John wondered what was taking so long for them to get to Astrid so he stood up to get to the paramedics. He related the story quickly as he led them to the living room. Stephen and John's eyes widened as they looked about the room. The paramedics look at each other and then eye the young guys suspiciously.

"Where is the young lady you speak of?" one paramedic asked.

John pointed to the floor where he had placed Astrid and said firmly, "She was right here."

"Well, where is she now?" the other paramedic questioned with an arched eyebrow.

Stephen ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "We swear she was right here," Stephen said, his voice quavering. The paramedics looked at them suspiciously but they decided to search the whole house but there was no sign of Astrid. John and Stephen looked at each other, perplexed and worried about where she could be. The panic that settled over them was a blanket that neither offered comfort nor pacified, but that draped and encased them into a state of uncertainty.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own The Tomorrow People. The CW does. Don't forget to watch this Monday April 28th. Thank you for reading.

Another's touch possessed her, and until she was freed from that love of another, he couldn't go forth with her. There was an ache that constricted around his heart when she disappeared. John tried to ignore this feeling but it crept quietly like a lion and pounced on him, leaving him utterly afraid for her.

"Someone at Ultra must have taken her," Stephen said.

"I say we check the lair first before we resort to anything else," John said.

They told the paramedics that they had received a call from Astrid and that she refused medical attention but that she was all right. The paramedics looked at them with doubt but then decided to leave.

They went to the lair, where Cara stood, having a conversation with TIM, and for a moment Stephen had a modicum of hope that she had taken Astrid but that was dashed when she said, "What happened?"

"Astrid's gone and we don't know where she is," John replied, looking around the lair.

"She's not here is she?" Stephen asked.

"No she's not," Cara said quickly, noticing the clear concern on his face.

"TIM, see if you can pick up anything on Astrid," Cara asked.

"Trying to locate Astrid Finch now." The trio waited and John felt like it was interminable but finally TIM said, "Search has proven futile. Astrid Finch is nowhere to be found."

Stephen's heart sank, and he looked at John's eyes which shimmered with worry and then he turned away.

"This is my fault," Stephen said. John refrained from telling him otherwise and suddenly he had an inkling on who may have taken her.

Astrid approached life with such verve that it was infectious and it made John want to see the world that way too.

His view was so abysmal, with having to hide who he was, and constantly having to worry about surviving that he didn't take the time to pause and admire the world around him.

In her presence he felt a glow that was relaxed, and it soothed him, but at the same time there was this innate need he had that wanted to protect her, to keep that glow from ever snuffing out.

The more he had visited her, the more he was imbued with happiness. He certainly wondered how a young girl could make him feel this way and he decided that even though it didn't make sense it felt right and that's what mattered.

He remembered hugging her and how great it felt to hold her, but he also recalled how he had looked over at Stephen, as if somehow seeking his permission, which was foolish since Stephen didn't own her. He needed to find her and he would get no sleep until he did.

A niggling thought crept into his mind that he tried to push out. He felt like history was repeating itself over again and this may have been the reason that he "hated" humans.

He hated what he could lose, so it would have been better not to have gotten so close to her, but then he wouldn't have known what it was like to actually live in the moment. The absurdity of his feelings confused him and he couldn't ponder about them right now.

Stephen walked to the bar, and hastily made his way to his uncle.

Jed took a huge a gulp of whiskey and glanced at Stephen before him.

"Astrid's gone," Stephen said frantically.

* * *

Jed looked at his nephew and shrugged then said, "I have nothing to do with her disappearance."

Stephen was angered by his uncle's nonchalant response but believed him. He sat down next to him, with his feet tapping on the stool nervously.

Jed signaled for a beer and then asked his nephew, "What happened exactly?"

Stephen told him what had occurred at Astrid's house and looked down at the counter ashamed.

"You hit her," Jed said, shaking his head.

Stephen clenched his fists. "It was a mistake."

Astrid woke up with a headache and as she sat up, she struggled with a wave of dizziness that claimed her head. She settled herself against the armrest and was surprised to hear the pattering of feet on the floor.

"18, 19, 20. Ready or not here I come," she heard a voice say.

She opened her eyes wanting to see and she saw a little boy dressed in a red shirt with blue jeans run right past her. She got up slowly and sat upright and watched as the boy searched in a closet.

"I'm going to find you," he said, closing the closet door. He came back into the living room and when his eyes locked with Astrid's he backed away.

Astrid put up her hands up to show him that she wasn't going to hurt him.

"Wow, you're pretty. Who are you?"

"Just as she was going to answer him, she heard, "Stephen, why aren't you looking for me?"

Astrid nearly passed out as she saw her seven-year old self.

With her small hands on her hips and big cheeks, her hair in a ponytail, young Astrid narrowed her eyes at older Astrid.

"Who are you? And how did you get in here? You're a stranger and I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," the little girl said with sass.

"I'm your mom's friend," she paused, adding "Marla", thinking quickly and looking at young Stephen.

"Really?" Stephen asked. "Then how come we never met you before?"

"Yeah how come we never met you before?" Astrid asked, bobbing her head.

"I work at the hospital and I'm very busy," Astrid said, wondering who was looking after them. Then she thought about someone she hadn't thought about in a long time. Their former neighbor, Ms. Laulgin, who always passed out drunk when watching them and Astrid smiled as she thought about her former babysitter who often told hilarious, nonsensical stories when she was inebriated.

"Wait here, I want to show you something," Stephen said, smiling at the older Astrid before running off. Young Astrid looked after him and rolled her eyes.

"He probably wants to show you his blue Power Ranger. He thinks it's the coolest toy."

Astrid smiled and bit her lip as she remembered Stephen always carrying that filthy toy around.

"So, is Stephen your best friend?" Astrid asked her young self.

The girl grinned. "Yeah, even though he's crazy he is."

"Crazy?"

"Yeah he thinks he has powers. He says this girl talks to him in his head sometimes but I think he's making it up."

"Well maybe he's not making it up," Astrid said to her.

"I'm going to check on him," young Astrid said.

"Okay," Astrid said, leaning against the couch as another wave of wooziness engulfed her.

* * *

The Founder was in his office and he didn't even so much as glance when John strolled in.

John sat right across from him and glared at him.

"So you figured it out, boy," the Founder said smiling.

"Why did you take her?" John asked.

"I'll be the one asking questions here," the Founder said.

"Astrid knows too much," the Founder said. "We cannot have that."

"What did you do to her?" John yelled, not recognizing his own voice.

The Founder wagged his finger at him. "Go ahead boy, try to do something to me," he dared him, knowing full well that John was incapable of doing anything to him. An evil grin spread across the Founder's face as he saw John look defeated.

"I'll do anything," John said pausing, "I'll do anything. Just don't hurt Astrid. Let her go free."

"Anything?" the Founder said now interested. He was also surprised by John's words.

John nodded, his eyes downcast to hide the anger that he was feeling toward the Founder.

"Why this girl seems to have some affect over you," the Founder said with a wicked glint in his eye.

John remained silent as a woman came in with a needle.

* * *

John didn't know how much time had passed nor did he care. He woke up and for a moment thought he was handcuffed but he wasn't. Relieved he got up from the couch and found that the Founder was before him and to his shock Astrid was standing next to him.

He wanted to run to her in that moment but found that he couldn't and the reason being was that he was lacking energy. Instead she came to him but her steps seemed measured.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, his mouth dry and he struggled even to swallow.

She looked back at the Founder before nodding.

"I have someone to drive you back home," the Founder announced.

The ride home was quiet, but as soon as they got to Astrid's house they felt it was safe to talk.

"Are you all right?" John asked her again, his eyes fixed on her.

"Yeah I am. My neck it just hurts," she said, placing her hand on it and rubbing it.

"Let me check," John said, coming up behind her. Pushing her hair aside, he inspected her neck but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"Looks good to me," he said and she turned around and grinned.

"What?" he said, his cheeks reddening.

Slowly they both made her way to her room. "I'm beat," she said, settling herself onto her bed. She saw John hesitate so she patted the space next to her. "Stephen and I always sleep together."

As soon as she said it, she realized how it sounded and embarrassed she laughed. "I meant-"

"I know what you meant," John said, laughing lightly as he took her teddy bear and sat next to her. Astrid's heart began to bang against her chest for the mere fact that John was sitting on her bed, looking down at her while she was lying down.

"Speaking of Stephen I think we should let him know you're all right."

"I don't want to talk to him," she said annoyed.

"We should let him know though," he said.

"Fine," Astrid said, sucking her teeth. She took out her cell phone and handed it to John.

**This is John. Astrid is safe and at home right now.**

**I'm delighted to hear that. I'll be coming right over. **"He wants to come over," John told Astrid.

"I don't want to see him right now," she said, groaning.

**Actually she's really tired. Come by tomorrow.**

**Fine. Tell her Good night for me and thanks John for finding her.**

"He wants you to have a good night," John said, and handed her the cell phone. Placing it on her nightstand she turned to look at John.

"Are you all right?" she said lowly.

"Much better now that you are safe," he said, placing the teddy bear on her arm.

"Thanks, John," she said softly.

For a moment, he just loomed over her but then he got closer to her and kissed her on her cheek. To say she was content was an understatement and she felt like touching her cheek but she couldn't do that in front of him.

Astrid tried to fight it but she was soon asleep, so she didn't notice when John got up and sat on her office chair and watched over her. Exhausted he fell asleep over her Calculus textbook.

* * *

"Stephen. Wake up we have to go to school." Luca yelled.

Stephen turned and then tossed as he heard his younger brother.

"Stephen come on," Luca roared.

He heard his brother open his door and then heard a gasp and this caught his attention.

"Oh my gosh!" Luca said.

Stephen shot up and looked to the right of him and lying down next to him was Astrid. His eyes grew huge and he looked at Luca who had his hand to his mouth with an enormous grin.

"Finally," Luca said, ecstatically his eyes glued to a sleeping Astrid.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Tomorrow People. The CW does. Don't forget to watch this Monday may 5th. Thanks for reading. Thank you for all your reviews and guest you were right lol. Anyway I really enjoyed Kill Switch. **

John woke up due to the heat on his cheek and he welcomed it, since he wasn't used to the sun's lucent rays flooding into the lair. He felt drunk and took a moment to adjust to an unfamiliar morning. He stumbled as he got up, and walked over to Astrid's bed slowly.

"Astrid, it's time to wake up," he said, patting her bed cover only to find her there.

_Not again_ he thought, running his hand through his hair.

* * *

Astrid had never slept over at Stephen's house since she turned thirteen. When they were younger though it was natural to sleep in each other's beds, however, both their parents had forbidden them to do so without any explanation when they became teenagers, and it wasn't until they had a sex ed course in school that they learned why.

Astrid thought she was dreaming when she heard Luca talking to Stephen.

"Just wake her up," Luca whispered to Stephen.

Stephen gently nudged her shoulder to rouse her awake but she turned away from him instead.

"Try again," Luca said his eyes on the door. "Mom is asleep in the next room."

"Astrid, wake up," Stephen said, rubbing her shoulder.

"John, stop it," she mumbled, kicking her feet now. Stephen eyes grew wide at her response.

"Astrid," Luca said.

"Five more minutes," she said, turning again. Suddenly her eyes fluttered opened and she looked around.

"Stephen, how did I get in your room?"

"That's what I would like to know?"

"Stephen, Luca," Marla shouted. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes mom," Luca yelled back.

"Astrid, I'm going to teleport you back home," Stephen said as she got up. He placed a hand on her shoulder and soon they were in her room.

They startled John as he was on his way out and he turned to look at them.

"Where did you go?" John asked, addressing Astrid.

She hesitated before she spoke, "I somehow ended up in Stephen's house," she said.

"How?" John questioned.

Astrid bit her lip and struggled with what she had in mind, so she looked at Stephen, pleading with her eyes the words she could not speak aloud.

"I think she may have teleported," Stephen said, his eyes locking with John's.

John shook his head and sighed heavily, "Gee Astrid, I'm sorry."

Astrid managed a smile and sat down on her bed. Both guys sat on either side of her, and she looked at both of them. "I'll manage," she said, trying to sound sure.

"Astrid, you don't have to go through this alone. We'll be here to help you," Stephen said, patting her on the knee. His eyes looked pained and he said lowly, "This is my fault."

"Stephen no," Astrid said, patting him on the hand. John felt like he wasn't there and he grunted and they both looked at him.

"I'm afraid I'm not going to be much use to you," he told her, his eyes looking vacuous. He couldn't believe Astrid was now a Tomorrow Person.

"Sure you will," Astrid said, sounding as casual as possible.

"John of course you can help," Stephen said, trying to be as affable as possible.

"You both don't understand," he said, standing up swiftly from the bed. "I can't."

Astrid and Stephen stared at him with confused expressions. "They've stripped me of my powers," he said finally.

Astrid went to him immediately and stood before him.

"You're still the same," she said softly.

Stephen sat there stunned and it was going to be hard to come to grips with what he just heard.

"You can still kill though right?" Stephen asked.

Astrid read John's mind _Really? _He thought and it was so loud that Astrid held her head. She found herself in the middle of them, her hand to John's chest, backing him away from Stephen, who had gotten up.

"Let's to try remember how we got into this mess in the first place," she said, looking at one and then the other.

Astrid noticed how John's legs trembled and she said, "Let's sit down."

"I'm going to tell the others," Stephen said.

"Good idea," Astrid said and he teleported out.

She began to rub John's back to make him comfortable but she could sense that he felt like a lost cause.

Astrid began to wonder if he was envious after all she did have powers now and she wouldn't blame him if he was.

"John," she began, "you don't." She didn't know how to begin or how to ask what she wanted.

John frowned but quickly grinned. "You at a loss of words. Really? I never thought I'd see the day."

"Stop it," she said, hitting playfully on the shoulder.

"Come on what is it?" he demanded.

"When I was human you felt a certain way about me, but now-"

John put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. "I didn't like you because you were human," John said, "I like you because of your spirit, your personality, and who you are. That doesn't change just because you get powers. Well it shouldn't."

"You should follow your own advice," Astrid said, smiling at him and taking his hand from her shoulder and closing her hand around his.

"I just don't want to get drunk with power," she said.

"I won't let that happen to you. I promise," he said now tracing the lines of her palm.

Astrid began to laugh, and she snatched her hand away. "That tickles," she explained to John who looked stricken.

"What now?" John said his voice cracking. He knew he had to be strong and that it was going to be difficult but he was glad to have Astrid by his side.

" John," she said, shyly looking at him. _He has the most pretty blue eyes._ "You're are still valuable especially to me."

In that moment as soon as she said those words he felt delighted.

"We should have some ground rules?" John said, winking at her.

"Like what?" Astrid said, crinkling her nose at him.

He tapped her nose and said, "No reading my mind."

She nodded in agreement but instantly found herself curious. _Gosh I'd really like to kiss her right now, but what if she doesn't want me to? I really should just go ahead and do it. She has such a lovely smile and she makes me smile and_ she stopped listening.

"Did you ever read my mind?" she asked him with a lift of her eyebrow.

John blushed and smirked. "Yeah I did," he confessed.

She turned her head away coyly and inquired, "When?"

She sat there wondering when he had read her mind, and then he broke her thoughts when he answered, "The first time we met at Stephen's pizza party."

"No way," she said, remembering what she had actually thought.

"Yep," he said. "You naughty girl," he said jokingly.

She playfully clawed at him. "Hey, you'll ruin my lucky jacket," he said, taking her hand once again. They got up from the bed and looked outside and enjoyed the sun's glow and the spotlight they stood in. Hand in hand they smiled at each other, the passion they held at bay, desperately wanting to come to the surface but for right now dormant.

John noticed Astrid's worried expression. "We'll tough it out," he told her, "and we'll carry on."

"No matter what happens," she said, and he put his arm around her.

**I hope you enjoyed this.**


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